


Legally Brawn

by Vigilant_Queen



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M, Legally Blonde
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-18
Updated: 2017-12-18
Packaged: 2019-02-16 20:14:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13061346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vigilant_Queen/pseuds/Vigilant_Queen
Summary: When Oliver Queen is dumped while trying to propose for not being serious enough, he decides to apply to Harvard Law School to win back his girl and prove he's smart. A Legally Blonde AU.





	Legally Brawn

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is based largely off the movie Legally Blonde and the musical of the same name. The characters are from Arrow on the CW. 
> 
> This is a work in progress.

Just as planned, the waiter brought over the custom cocktails as soon as they were seated. Oliver glanced across the table, raising his glass. “To us!”  
“To us…”  
Oliver sipped his drink, and she subtly placed her glass back on the table without tasting it.  
“Actually, Ollie, one of the reasons I wanted to come here tonight was to discuss our future.”  
“And I am fully amenable to that discussion.” Their future together was exactly why Oliver had booked a string quartet and had custom cocktails created.  
“Good… So, you know how we’ve been having a good time lately?”  
“Yeah”  
“Well, Harvard is going to be different. Law school is a completely different world, and I need to be serious.”  
“And you know I support you 100%.”  
“I do. Ever since I was two or three, my life was planned out neatly. I’d get my law degree and then win my senate seat. A big white house back East with all of the amenities. I thought one look at you, looking like a dream come true, would leave me speachless like you always do. But now we’re wide awake. I’ve got the future all planned, and it’s time to get serious with you.”  
Oliver nodded and subtly signaled the waiter. “I never thought that I - ”  
“Uh, honey, I’m not finished.”  
“Oh, sorry.”  
“I mean, my family expects a lot from me. I expect a lot from me. But the thing is, I need to stop messing around.”  
“I completely agree.”  
“Ollie, that’s why I think it’s time for us to - ”  
As she was speaking, Oliver moved to kneel by the table and pulled the ring box out of his pocket. Right on cue, the string quartet began to play.  
“Time for us to get married!”  
“... to break up.”  
“Wait. What? You’re breaking up with me? But I’m proposing!”  
“Well, I’ve been thinking about it and it seemed like the right thing to do.”

  
The string quartet that had begun playing softly when Oliver took a knee was now reaching a crescendo and had yet to notice anything was amiss. Oliver could feel the anger, despair, and humiliation building, so he took a moment to stop the musicians, hoping to calm down a bit before turning back to Laurel. He abruptly interrupted the string quartet but promised to pay them in full before he sent them on their way, the other restaurant patrons looking on with expressions ranging from disdain to pity. When he reclaimed his seat, Oliver was still in a state of confused and painful shock.

  
“Ollie, believe me, I never expected to do this. I have to think of my future and what my family expects of me.”  
“So you’re breaking up with me because you’re afraid your family won’t like me? But everybody likes me.”  
“Ollie, if I’m going to be a senator when I’m thirty, I’m going to need somebody serious.” When he didn’t say anything, Laurel continued. “You know, less arm candy, more sophisticated and classy.”  
“Excuse me?”  
“Okay, that came out wrong. Baby, let’s both be strong. I mean, we’ve known all along…”  
“Just stop. What does that even mean, I’m not sophisticated? I’m not serious? I’m serious about you!”  
“Ollie, my future’s all planned. I’ve got some dreams to make true. I thought that you’d understand. It’s time to get serious.”

  
Everything Laurel was saying felt overwhelmingly wrong. Oliver had been so sure about his proposal, that this whole mess felt like it was happening to someone else. The surrealness of the situation was frying his brain and each time he responded to Laurel he could tell he was speaking louder, but he had absolutely no control over it. In response, her voice kept getting softer until she was whisper yelling at him. Altogether they were making quite the scene at the restaurant, and Oliver had a feeling he wouldn’t be welcomed back warmly. Not that he wanted to come here ever again, which was a shame because the food and drinks were phenomenal. Speaking of... Oliver drained his cocktail in one sip, stood up and buttoned his coat. Laurel had made up her mind and left no room for argument. He signaled the waiter again, who look rather hesitant to come over.

“Check, please.”  
“Ollie, baby, wait -”  
He didn’t bother turning around. “I’ll call an Uber for you. It should be here in ten minutes. Enjoy the dinner.” And if he sounded bitter and cold, who could blame him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~12 Days Later~

“He’s drinking another milkshake!”  
“Oh, no! Please, tell me that’s a protein shake.”  
“She should be ashamed.”  
“And I don’t think she’s that hot.”  
“I do!”  
“Well you’re a dick.”  
“Hey, come at me –“  
“Bring it on –“  
Oliver finally looked up from his phone where he’d been numbly scrolling through Instagram.  
“Guys, cut it out.”  
“Man, it’s good to see you. We brought Die Hard.”  
“Thanks, guys, but I think it’s going to take more than Die Hard to pull me back into the land of the living.”  
“Well then, Ollie, you’re just going to have to hold on until next week when the Rockets play the Jays.”  
“Shit!” Oliver, who apparently didn’t hear about the baseball game, was staring at his phone like he was going to crush it any second now.  
“What?!? Don’t tell me Hiddleston is the new Bond.”  
“No. Worse. It’s Laurel’s sister, Sara, and her bride! Pictures from their wedding… look!”  
“Wait, is her name Nyssa?” As they laughed at the unfamiliar name, Oliver had a realization.  
“This is the type of person that Laurel must want!”  
“A girl?”  
“No, someone serious! Someone lawyerly. Guys, I’ve got a plan. Laurel wants me, but she needs to see me in a brand new setting. I’ll meet her at Harvard with a book in my hand. Big sturdy book. Big wordy book. Full of words I’ll understand. And right there is where she’ll see it too.” He stood up with suddenly with an energy they hadn’t seen in twelve days.  
“Step 1: She’s off to Harvard Law, so I’ll get in there too.  
Step 2: Make Laurel reassess. Impress her with my high IQ.  
Step 3: We throw an engagement party and invite all Delta Nu.”  
“Ollie, that’s a nice plan. But can we think this through? Harvard Law School?”  
“I have a 4.0 average.”  
“Yeah, in photography. What makes you think you can do this? It’ll wreck your senior spring. First, you’ll need an LSAT score of more than 174. So no more parties for you. And you’ll need a killer essay and glowing letters of recommendation, or forget it.” He hesitated a bit, unsure how far Oliver was willing to go, but determined not to lie about how hard this would be. “You’ve got a lot of work in front of you.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Law school? Good god, why?”  
“It’s a perfectly respectable place, mother.”  
“Law school is for boring, ugly, serious people. And you, my dear boy, are none of those things. It’s absurd, why work hard when you can stay right here and take over the family company? What’s out there that you can’t get right here?”  
“Mom, I have to do this. It’s not something I can just walk away from.”  
“Fine, I’ll pay your way if you get in.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Hey everybody, it’s the spring fling beer bash extreme!”  
“Not for you. Time to study!”  
“This year’s theme: Jamaican me crazy!!!  
“134. Not good enough. Try again.”  
“The annual ABC party is this weekend! Remember, anything but clothes!”  
“151. Still not Harvard material. Once again.”  
“Keg stand Olympics on Friday night! Queen, you’re the defending champion!”  
“I can’t go. I said no, go away. I’ve got to study.”

The words were hard to say, pushed roughly past clenched teeth. He desperately wanted to go to the party and defend his title. He could really use some beer. But the smarter part of him knew that if he went to this party, he would go to the next party, and the next, and the next. And he wouldn’t study through his hangovers. And then he would fail the LSAT. So he couldn’t, no matter how much he wanted to forget about Laurel dumping him and his proposal and how he could never return to that restaurant. His favorite restaurant, where he proposed to his girlfriend and she promptly rejected him, with a smile on her face. As if she hadn’t just smashed their future to bits with her designer stiletto. Oliver felt unmoored, a ghost of his former self drifting aimlessly past all of their memories and moments that were anchored whereever he looked on campus. An inescapable, throbbing pain. The only thing untainted was the stack of law books that was barricading him from the rest of campus, a shield protecting him from the barrage of questions and exclamations of his peers who decided to take up investigative jouranlism, broadcasting their discoveries and conclusions about his relationship with the whole university. It wouldn’t be like last year. The party wouldn’t be worth their questions, and the beer wouldn’t alleviate the feelings that seemed to be weighing him down. Oliver flipped the next page in his LSAT prep book and began pouring through the neighboring stack of books.

When the email arrived a few weeks later and his frat brothers had assembled around him, Oliver took a deep breathe and adopted his favorite stoic expression.  
“179!!!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So, Ladies. Harvard Law grants admission to Iris West and Caitlyn Snow. And now let’s discuss Mr. Oliver Queen. Who was kind enough to send in a headshot.”  
“We should admit him for reasons of, um, … multiculturalism!”  
“Yes, multiculturalism!”  
“Oh, ladies, please! Get a hold of yourselves. This is Harvard, not Tinder. He couldn’t even be bothered to write a personal essay, so he sent a video.”

“Oh, hey. How you doin’? My name is Oliver Queen, and for my admissions essay, I’m going to tell all of you at Harvard Law why I’ll make an awesome lawyer. As president of my fraternity, I’m skilled at commanding a room and discussing very important issues. I’m able to recall hundreds of important details at the drop of a hat. I feel comfortable using legal jargon in everyday life. And that’s why you should vote for me, Oliver Queen, for future lawyer.”

“My gut says he’d make a great lawyer.”  
“Are you sure that’s your gut, and not, I don’t know, his abs? Or his swimsuit? Or that… salmon ladder?”  
“No, well… maybe a little. But it’s mostly his eyes. He’s got a passion and drive there that we don’t see very often. And, he’ll bring a fresh point of view from his photography major. I think he’s rather promising.”  
“We’ve never had a photography major before, and we are always looking for diversity.”  
“So…?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Welcome to Harvard!”

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first multi-chapter fic. If you liked it, please feel free to share with you friends, give kudos, and/or leave a review. I'll do my best to respond quickly. :) 
> 
> Please note, this is a work in progress.


End file.
